


Older

by anonymousfriend27



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adult Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Adult Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adult Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, F/M, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:20:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26019433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anonymousfriend27/pseuds/anonymousfriend27
Summary: Ladybug and Chat Noir have been fighting Hawkmoth and Mayura for nearly seven years. With his Lady feeling more and more helpless, Chat Noir cannot afford to fall apart. And, Ladybug, struggling to balance her civilian and hero lives, fights to find Hawkmoth's identity, while keeping hers from her partner.Snippets showing an insight into the lives of our heroes and their desperate opponent.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 14
Kudos: 12





	1. Broken Children

### Broken Children

##### Notes

Hello! This is my first time posting on ao3, but I'm not new to posting fanfics :3 There'll be a link to my older work on my fanfiction.net account in the end notes, so if you enjoyed yourself, check it out.

This is based off of an idea I had at 3am a month ago, but it'll be connected snippets from the perspective of Adrien, Marinette and Gabriel. Happy reading!

* * *
    
    
    “Just a little bit longer, Chat,” Ladybug said dully, “You know we can’t until it’s done.”
    
    “We’re no closer to finding out who Hawkmoth is than we were when we were fourteen,” Chat stated quietly, not looking her.
    
    “I’m- I’m sorry. I just need to-”
    
    “Stop, this isn’t your fault…”
    
    Chat turned to her, closing his eyes for second, and put a hand on her shoulder, “Don’t blame yourself for the work of a psychopathic supervillain getting off on hurting people. It’s not your fault the sick bastard is doing this!”
    
    Ladybug looked up at him silently, tears rolling down her cheeks, before burying her face in his chest with a sob. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, his eyes stinging for the same release he would allow his Lady to have. He wished he could cry- _just one moment of weakness._ A moment to steel himself for what was to come. Because it was only going to get worse from here.
    
    Whatever Hawkmoth’s reasons were, it must be important to him. They weren’t children anymore, and that seemed to give him a free pass to stop holding back. Chat Noir and Ladybug may have got older, but the akumas only got meaner, as if Hawkmoth had lost any sense of restraint.
    
    _He’s desperate._
    
    And he hurt people. Even if the Cure repaired all the physical damage done to the city and it’s inhabitants, there was no taking away the memories. He’d died before, and for Ladybug, he’d die again, but even if his body was unharmed, he didn’t survive undamaged. Chat Noir had seen death, and it was cold and dark and empty.
    
    Nightmares and panic attacks had been the only thing gained from the experience, the crushing pressure of the void he’d been trapped in, squeezing his chest until his lungs were about to burst. Until his head pounded and his senses dulled, and there was nothing but the silence of that place. 
    
    But he wouldn’t- _didn’t_ - hesitate. Never. And, of course, he couldn’t tell anyone. Or maybe it was just that he didn’t want to.
    
    Even at fourteen, he knew he wasn’t okay. He knew he should get help, that he _could_ get help if he asked. His pride would break him one day; he had wanted to seem strong then, and he needed to be now.
    
    It was happening all over again.
    
    Chat Noir didn’t think he could take another round of Plagg’s scolding. It was out of love, he knew that, but he wished the kwami would just give up and accept he wasn't going to let himself fall apart, even if it would do him good. Nothing was going to sway him. 
    
    He couldn’t let himself break down like her, not when he was the only thing holding her together. How would they protect Paris if they were both nothing more than weeping children? How were they supposed to be brave and bold heroes if they were just a couple of kids who were forced to grow up too fast?
    
    Not for the first time, he cursed Fu for the world he’d thrust them into when they were too young to see the wonderful world of super-heroism for what it was. A trap, something you get sucked into and never really get to leave behind. Obviously, the man that’d thrown them to the sharks all those years ago had got away quite lightly- losing your memory and ending up with a woman you love regardless is hardly a bad way to go.
    
    But Chat Noir and Ladybug were absolutely screwed. There was no chance they were getting away unscarred, it was too late for that. But maybe- _just maybe_ - he could make it easier for her. She wasn’t going to hand over any real responsibility, but he could lighten the load, and there was very little he wouldn’t do to achieve that.
    
    So instead of crying with her, he pressed his face to the top of Ladybug's head, breathing in the safety of her scent, and pulled her tighter.
    
    “I love you, M’Lady.”
    
    “I- I love you too, Chaton.”
    

* * *

##### Notes

I don't have a set upload schedule yet, but I _try_ to be a least a little consistent.

Starting on Monday 24th August, I'll also be posting original work based on prompts every three days!

And finally, as promised, the link to my [fanfiction.net account](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/13006909/), which has completed work and some semi-abandoned/WIP fics! Thanks for reading :3

anony~

(If there's anything dodgy going on with the formatting, I made my own work skin, so if it's broken, I can try and fix it uwu)

* * *


	2. Bolder, Wiser.

##### Notes

Hello again! This one is a little less intense than the first :3 Thank you to everyone that left reviews and kudos <3 Enjoy!

* * *
    
    
     Chat Noir stared out over his city, an ache in his heart. Ladybug had be silent during the battle, the pair depending on years of fighting together to communicate. It was becoming more and more common- an akuma attack would be officially announced, they’d get there as they always did, the fight would be over within 20 minutes. Repeat.
    
    Over and over. 
    
    He didn’t doubt that Hawkmoth was sat in his lair somewhere, watching them struggle and lose any will to go on, waiting for one of them to slip. He hated to say it, but he didn’t think it would be him to give in first.
    
    Though he had unending faith in his Lady, built over years of friendship, they were both tired. No, not just them; _the whole city_ was tired. 
    
    No amount of akuma prevention classes or newly trained heroes can suppress a human’s emotions. They knew it, Hawkmoth knew it, and Paris knew it. There wasn’t a family left that hadn’t been personally affected by an akuma anymore, and the population of those who had never been akumatised was dwindling into double digits.
    
    It wasn’t exactly helping with keeping their identities secret, a fact that seemed to constantly torment Ladybug. Even through all the chaos and loss and despair, she still wouldn’t let him know who she was. Really, all he’s have to do would be look through the Parisians their age that had never been akumatised, and find a girl with black hair, blue eyes who disappeared a suspicious amount. He suspected he’d already subconsciously come up with a couple options, but he tried not to focus on anything specific, no matter how much Plagg prodded him to actually consider it. 
    
    He’d assured her he wasn’t looking, and he wasn’t one to break his promises.
    
    “Chaton?”
    
    He turned with a soft smile at her voice, “Hey, M’Lady.”
    
    He patted the spot next to him, and she sat down, leaning her head on his shoulder. “How are you today?” He asked, “Did you have fun at work?”
    
    She nodded, and he sighed happily at the warm light in her eyes, “Yeah, I had a really good day, actually. A couple new clients called, asking about me helping them out.” Ladybug yawned, rubbing a hand over her face, “How about you, Chat?”
    
    “It was…” he stopped, struggling to find a good word to describe it. At 21, his days of being controlled by his father were far behind him, but he’d lost out on choosing what he wanted to study when he was younger. Now he was stuck with a degree in business and not a lot to do with it- certainly not anything he _wanted_ to do with it, anyway.
    
    Instead, he was still modelling for _Gabriel_ , and studying physics- as well as going for a qualification in teaching- in his spare time. While they were ‘noble’ choices, as his father put it, he didn’t have the funds to afford not to work. 
    
    That morning he’d spent most of his time in the rain, the weather being a factor that his photographer had obviously forgotten to take into account. Gone were the days where Nathalie would be waiting with an umbrella and standing beside Gorilla, who would drive him home. No, the ‘great Adrien Agreste’ was forced to find his own shelter nowadays. 
    
    Luckily, the shoot had been right outside the Dupain-Cheng bakery. He would never say it out loud, but not freezing and proximity weren’t the only reasons he’d chosen the bakery. 
    
    _Marinette._
    
    One of his first friends, the girl that had impressed his father when even his own son couldn’t, the women whose designs he now saw in stores that used to house exclusively _Gabriel_ garments.
    
    Her rise through the fashion industry was impressive, but it didn’t surprise him. Marinette had always been a problem solver, even if no one else noticed, and she knew how to sell herself. 
    
    It was when they were about 16 that he saw it first, her confidence, fiery and certain and teeming with _life_. It was satisfying to see her crawl out of her timidness and become so strong and sure of herself. It reminded Chat Noir of Ladybug in a way.
    
    Marinette was no superhero, but she was powerful nonetheless. And most importantly, she was smart. Starting a successful online business while she was still in school had left her admired among her peers, and gave her a steady income to expand her fashion empire in the future. 
    
    That fashion empire was something she had built herself, and Chat Noir was honestly proud.
    
    Unfortunately for him, she’s moved away from her parents' house and he’d lost contact with her as Adrien over the years. He had absolutely no idea where she lived anymore, and he was way too scared of Alya to ask her _or_ Nino. They may of been best bros, but nothing said to Nino didn’t eventually make its way to Alya, and from Alya to Marinette.
    
    Oh well, maybe he could stop by Tom and Sabine’s bakery again and ask there.
    
    Apparently their daughter was also still a regular (as he had hoped she would be), and they’d met briefly that morning. Marinette looked exhausted, a hoodie pulled close around her face, clutching a coffee to her chest and dark circles under her eyes. She looked much older too, and physically fit, much more muscular and toned than she’d been when they were kids, as if her job required hard labour. Even swathed in thick, loose fabric, he could tell she held herself with authority, with a cold command. 
    
    Something about her told him she hadn’t just changed on the outside either; the way she stood, bolder, her assertive gaze, wiser. 
    
    Why he found himself analysing her so closely was lost to him, but he supposed it was just curiosity. There was something so _familiar_ about it all. 
    
    He wondered exactly what had happening to her to-
    
    “Chat?”
    
    He shook his head, breaking away from from his thoughts. With a fond but apologetic smile, he turned towards Ladybug, “Sorry, I zoned out. I had a pretty awful day at work, but I bumped into an old friend in the afternoon.”
    
    “An old friend?” Ladybug asked, “Where do you know them from?”
    
    “From school. We lost contact after she moved away,” he replied, stretching his arms above his head, “It was good to see her after so long apart, though I wished we could’ve talked longer.” 
    
    He frowned and Ladybug giggled, “The little kitty doesn’t have a crush, does he?”
    
    He shook his head, narrowing his eyes before sticking his tongue out at her, “My heart lies with you, M’Lady, and no one else.”
    
    Laughing again, she ran a hand through his hair, rubbing at a spot behind his ears for a moment. He leant into her touch happily, but watched doubt flicker over her expression, one of his cat ears twitching in concern. Feeling him fidget, she stopped, her hand running down his face to cup his cheek, warm and soft even through her suit.
    
    “What’s wrong?” She asked.
    
    “After all these years of me telling you how much I love you, even after finally giving into my overwhelming charm-”
    
    “Oh please,” Ladybug muttered.
    
    “ _Even after finally giving into my overwhelming charm,_ ” he enforced, not needing his ego hurt anymore than it already was, “You still don’t believe it.”
    
    “W-what? Yes, I do!” She spluttered, “I know you wouldn’t say it without meaning it, Chaton. You’re not one of those people who throws ‘I love you’s around so easily, I see that now.”
    
    He chuckled, a little sadly, “You’re worried I won’t wait for you?”
    
    After a moment, she nodded, and he sighed heavily. 
    
    “I’m not one to give up on what I want, M’Lady,” he stated, “And there is nothing I want more than to be by your side. If that’s only as your partner, I can live with that, as long as I’m still with you.”
    
    Ladybug raised an eyebrow at him, “So you’d pass up an opportunity to date me then?”
    
    “I’d rather just marry you,” he told her, internally evil laughing at her fierce blush.
    
    “Flirt!” She shouted, hands pressed against her cheeks in an attempt to cool them, “You’re _so_ annoying!”
    
    Chat Noir scoffed, “At least I’m not weak-willed enough to fall for someone as utterly scandalous as moi.”
    
    “'Weak-willed'? _'Scandalous'?!_ I’ll show you weak-willed, _mon petit Chaton._ ”
    
    He gulped, but smiled to himself, pushing his dread down. This is was _his_ Ladybug. Not the one that Paris saw, not the woman who doubted she was loved by him, not even whoever she was outside of superhero-ing. 
    
    And she was going to destroy him for that last comment.
    
    “Race you to the tower-”
    

* * *

##### Notes

Changing up the skin a little, so if the appearance of my post randomly changed, it's _probably_ (no promises-) on purpose. Probably. And if there are typos anywhere, feel free to point them out. It's midnight, I'm incredibly lazy when it comes to editing my own work, my laptop is on low battery, etc. Any excuse not to edit properly.

I love replying to reviews (the system on ao3 is 10x better than anywhere else I've tried), so please do take a moment to write one uwu

Oh, one more thing, because I'm a complete weeb (if you know, you know), happy birthday, Iida!!

EDIT: it's not actually his birthday anymore where I live, but it was when I wrote that sooo-

* * *


End file.
